brennanlafaro's review
4.0
I know there are people out there who skip author's notes and introductions on short story collections. If that's you, make an exception this time. I, myself, have read the odd introduction that ran in circles for 20 pages and has me tapping my foot with impatience to get to the meat. In the introduction to Metamorphosis , author Claire Fitzpatrick lets us know that the stories we're about to read are the results of paranoia and neurotic thoughts related to bouts with epilepsy and borderline personality disorder. As a result, the stories are honest, unyielding, and snapshots of a very specific time in the author's life.
I'd like to lead off by letting you know that if body horror is not your cup of tea, there is quite a bit of material in this collection that may not be up your alley. Potential readers may like that Fitzpatrick opens with two stories, Madeline and Eat, that give you an idea of just how intense the experience is going to be.
Body horror is not necessarily my favorite genre, but we see it mixed well here with tales of revenge and/or comeuppance, or even with coming-of-age and self-acceptance. The title story Metamorphosis is an excellent example of the latter. Synthetic might be the best showing in this sub genre, and contains a little of both.
While there is plenty of the supernatural and horror in extremis on display, there are many displays of simply evil (everyday) people. The Dog showcases this magnificently, and I hate to admit I found myself mollified by the eventual ending.
My two favorites from the collection are Jacaranda House and Andromeda. Jacaranda House offers a unique and spookular take on the haunted house story, which anyone who comes here regularly will know, is my favorite horror genre. Andromeda reads almost as a very short novelette, broken into chapters. This story deals with humanity's inclination toward manifest destiny, and the particularly alien consequences. Fair warning, you might find yourself agreeing with the alien reasoning, but the author does a masterful job of painting the human protagonist, and she very much has our empathy.
While some stories stuck with me more than others, there is never a dull moment in Metamorphosis. A second heads up that this collection is graphic and disturbing at times. It's also honest, and above all raw. Something that fiction could occasionally use a pinch of. If that sounds like something you can deal with, then give Claire Fitzpatrick's collection a shot.
I'd like to lead off by letting you know that if body horror is not your cup of tea, there is quite a bit of material in this collection that may not be up your alley. Potential readers may like that Fitzpatrick opens with two stories, Madeline and Eat, that give you an idea of just how intense the experience is going to be.
Body horror is not necessarily my favorite genre, but we see it mixed well here with tales of revenge and/or comeuppance, or even with coming-of-age and self-acceptance. The title story Metamorphosis is an excellent example of the latter. Synthetic might be the best showing in this sub genre, and contains a little of both.
While there is plenty of the supernatural and horror in extremis on display, there are many displays of simply evil (everyday) people. The Dog showcases this magnificently, and I hate to admit I found myself mollified by the eventual ending.
My two favorites from the collection are Jacaranda House and Andromeda. Jacaranda House offers a unique and spookular take on the haunted house story, which anyone who comes here regularly will know, is my favorite horror genre. Andromeda reads almost as a very short novelette, broken into chapters. This story deals with humanity's inclination toward manifest destiny, and the particularly alien consequences. Fair warning, you might find yourself agreeing with the alien reasoning, but the author does a masterful job of painting the human protagonist, and she very much has our empathy.
While some stories stuck with me more than others, there is never a dull moment in Metamorphosis. A second heads up that this collection is graphic and disturbing at times. It's also honest, and above all raw. Something that fiction could occasionally use a pinch of. If that sounds like something you can deal with, then give Claire Fitzpatrick's collection a shot.
camerontrost's review
4.0
If you think you had a hard time when puberty hit, trying to work out who you were, wanting so desperately to feel comfortable in your skin, Claire Fitzpatrick's title story, Metamorphosis, will reassure you. After all, it could have been so much worse!
Once again, Claire delivers the goods with her very own style of body horror.
Once again, Claire delivers the goods with her very own style of body horror.
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